Hialeah plan hinges on financial feasibility

 

By Charles Elmore

 

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

 

Thursday, May 25, 2006

 

HIALEAH ? The Florida Marlins' hopes for a stadium rest on a mystery.

 

Can a square-mile box of "high prairie" ? the original meaning of the Seminole name for this city ? support a baseball stadium?

 

Not physically. Financially. That's what Ian Yorty, the Miami-Dade County tax collector, and others are studying.

 

The Marlins and the county are about $100 million short of a $430 million retractable-roof stadium. So the $100 million question is: Can property taxes on expected industrial and office development around the proposed stadium in Hialeah raise enough money to finish the job?

 

And will the county and the city be willing to pledge more money to the project ? up to $100 million ? based on that anticipated tax money?

 

"There's the potential to generate a significant amount of revenue," Yorty said. "I don't know if it's enough to cover the entire gap."

 

At stake is not just the future of the Florida Marlins, who have promised to leave South Florida after 2010 without a new stadium. It also is a watershed moment in Hialeah's history.

 

The Hialeah Park Race Track, which opened in 1925 when the city incorporated, attracted world-renowned figures from Harry Truman to Winston Churchill in its heyday. But the park closed five years ago, the victim of competition and changes in the sport's scheduling rules. Throughout its 220 now-lifeless acres, roofs slowly crumble.

 

Hialeah once played host to a thriving movie industry. D.W. Griffith made The White Rose here in the 1920s, before hurricanes helped blow away the business. There also is a tragic edge to some of Hialeah's history. Amelia Earhart launched her ill-fated flight around the world from an airfield in the city on June 1, 1937.

 

The textile business that boomed in the 1950s waned under the pressure of automation and lower wages in other countries. Yet Hialeah grew to become one of Florida's 10 largest cities. Today its population is estimated at 250,000, 92 percent of which is Hispanic. Along the way, some have worried that Hialeah is becoming Miami's invisible sister.

 

"I would love it if we had a stadium right in our back yard," said resident Carlos Burgos, 25. "My family came from Puerto Rico, and my mother did piecework in the garment industry, and she might get a nickel a sleeve. People worked hard to build this city. Having the baseball team here would mean a lot."

 

At 75, Mary Wingett serves as president of the Hialeah Women's Club.

 

"For so long, the city was considered down to the heels," she said. "It's always been a blue-collar city. I'm not very interested in sports, but anything that promotes growth and promises the city would be fine with me."

 

More than a few athletes trace their roots to Hialeah, including pitchers Charlie Hough and Alex Fernandez, outfielder John Cangelosi and pro football players Ted Hendricks, a Hall of Famer, and Vince Kendrick. (The city also produced space shuttle Columbia astronaut Ken Mattingly and vocalists K.C., front man of K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Terry Desario and John Secada).

 

Yet Hialeah often gets blurred into Miami, said Dan DeLoach, a former city clerk who wrote a book on Hialeah's history, What's In A Name?

 

"Historically, you had the Miami movie plant in Hialeah, the Miami Jockey Club, everything was named Miami," DeLoach said. "It's still considered a very small town. At one time, the mayor would not allow city workers to have answering machines or voice mail. He wanted us to answer the phone personally."

 

Right now, there's not much to see where Hialeah hopes to hook the Marlins. It's mostly grassy prairie and wetlands in northwest Hialeah between Florida's Turnpike and Interstate 75. Not far away sits the county landfill, primarily packed with construction debris. Chickens, junkyard dogs and "No Trespassing" signs in Spanish outnumber humans.

 

Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina believes developer Armando Codina will cede land he owns for a stadium, though he has not promised a financial contribution from the city.

 

"This is a complicated deal," Robaina said. "The county is running those numbers, seeing what the area would generate."

 

He remains optimistic.

 

Publicly, Codina has pledged to support a ballpark effort, though he questions whether it is in the right place: "It is possible that this could be the best suburban site for the Marlins' stadium, although I have always felt a more urban location would be the most preferable."

 

Access from the turnpike and I-75 make it a convenient drive for those in the western suburbs throughout South Florida. But the picture is less clear how the location would work for fans living downtown, particularly in eastern Miami-Dade County.

 

Hialeah's stature as a potential home for the Marlins has grown as competing cities have dropped away. Initially, the city's offer of land (but no money) did not exactly halt the team in its tracks. The Marlins jet-setted from Portland, Ore., to San Antonio, entertaining offers from anyone willing to ante up.

 

But quietly, Hialeah looked more and more appealing. In April, Miami-Dade county commissioners voted to ease development restrictions on 1,100 acres east of the turnpike in Hialeah, boosting the chances for a ballpark there.

 

On May 15, the Marlins waved goodbye to San Antonio's retracted $200 million stadium contribution with a "Dear John" letter to the Texas city from Major League Baseball. It seemed clear Hialeah had become the hometown honey at the top of the dance card.

 

Team President David Samson reaffirmed South Florida as "our top priority." Robert DuPuy, the president and chief operating officer of MLB, also raised expectations that a deal was coming together. He and the Marlins were training their efforts on Florida, he said, and he was hopeful "this process will be coming to a successful conclusion promptly."

 

How promptly? Tax collector Yorty said, "We don't have any San Antonio deadlines around here. We're going to study this hard over the summer."

 

After all this, how likely is Hialeah to land the Marlins?

 

"There's a lot of things that have to happen, but there's good potential that we have a feasible site," Yorty said.

 

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/conte...ALEAH_0525.html

Its always good to hear about the on-going stadium negotiations in Hialeah. Reading between the lines of the Palm Beach Post article Festa posted above, I get the impression that it will get done. The part that worries me is the "study hard over the summer" line. This implies that a final decision or announcement is not as eminent as I would like it. The longer it takes the more worried I get.

 

Jerry Del Castillo has told us to be patient, that everything is progressing as it should.

 

We should follow his advice, but since the Marlins future hinges on this, the anxiety of this long wait is killing me!

patience is a virtue, one most south florida folks dont believe in. Check out I95

 

hehee plus I think Holly will jump off that cliff if she has to wait too much longer lol

I was talking to Festa about this county number crunching early this week....it could add another month or 2 depending on how they can calculate all the scenarios likely....or if they go to almost all possible.

 

However the County Manager is behind it, pushing at 80MPH when it is only a 65 MPH zone.

We shall see what the end of the month brings, They COULD make announcement regarding a Memorandum of Understanding dependant on the study similar to what they did in 2005(?) and the deal being dependant on the $60M from the state.

We shall see what the end of the month brings, They COULD make announcement regarding a Memorandum of Understanding dependant on the study similar to what they did in 2005(?) and the deal being dependant on the $60M from the state.

 

So....they could make a Memorandum of Understanding (agreement in principle to build the ballpark) pending the City Commission, County Commission, and County Tax Collector's Office are giving it a thumbs up.

Jerry del Castillo: Stadium deal is almost past the study phase and is more into the planning phase.

Jerry del Castillo: Stadium deal is almost past the study phase and is more into the planning phase.

 

 

When did he say this? Today?

Also, it's "almost past the study phase" but it's "more into the planning phase"? Don't those statements contradict themselves? I suppose they do if one if dependant on the other which is my assumption. Is my assumption wrong?

end of month here not thing happen yet i hope thing still working out

I read that article in yesterday's PBP. But the article I found even more interesting was the one about the difference in mileage and exactly where the new place will be. We are PBC residents and season ticket holders. We know very little about Dade or Broward county as far as side roads and such so it was interesting and uplifting to see it on a map and a description of the best route to it. Another 10 miles to travel won't be that big a deal for us and from what the short article said there will be an exit ramp being built to take you right into the new pond. We already have an hour plus drive when the traffic conditions are ideal so another 10 minutes or so is no biggie. They have our seal of approval to continue. LOL

I read that article in yesterday's PBP. But the article I found even more interesting was the one about the difference in mileage and exactly where the new place will be. We are PBC residents and season ticket holders. We know very little about Dade or Broward county as far as side roads and such so it was interesting and uplifting to see it on a map and a description of the best route to it. Another 10 miles to travel won't be that big a deal for us and from what the short article said there will be an exit ramp being built to take you right into the new pond. We already have an hour plus drive when the traffic conditions are ideal so another 10 minutes or so is no biggie. They have our seal of approval to continue. LOL

 

 

I guess the good point for PBC folks, like me too, will be that we can take the turnpike right on down. That should help some since it doesnt get too many problems with traffic.

I read that article in yesterday's PBP. But the article I found even more interesting was the one about the difference in mileage and exactly where the new place will be. We are PBC residents and season ticket holders. We know very little about Dade or Broward county as far as side roads and such so it was interesting and uplifting to see it on a map and a description of the best route to it. Another 10 miles to travel won't be that big a deal for us and from what the short article said there will be an exit ramp being built to take you right into the new pond. We already have an hour plus drive when the traffic conditions are ideal so another 10 minutes or so is no biggie. They have our seal of approval to continue. LOL

 

 

I guess the good point for PBC folks, like me too, will be that we can take the turnpike right on down. That should help some since it doesnt get too many problems with traffic.

 

 

Turnpike to Sawgrass to I-75 might work even better...

Here is a map from Yahoo Maps. Where is the stadium going to be?

 

http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=&cs...new=1&name=&qty=

Here is a map from Yahoo Maps. Where is the stadium going to be?

 

http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=&cs...new=1&name=&qty=

 

 

In that map in the top left hand corner to the left of the I-75 logo there.

Here is a map from Yahoo Maps. Where is the stadium going to be?

 

http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=&cs...new=1&name=&qty=

 

 

In that map in the top left hand corner to the left of the I-75 logo there.

 

So its above NW 138th Street?

Here is a map from Yahoo Maps. Where is the stadium going to be?

 

http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=&cs...new=1&name=&qty=

 

 

In that map in the top left hand corner to the left of the I-75 logo there.

 

So its above NW 138th Street?

 

Yes

Thanks.

Actually, according to that map, the stadium is closer to the "Yahoo!" logo in the upper left hand corner (the southern boundary of the property is N.W. 170 Street).

Actually, according to that map, the stadium is closer to the "Yahoo!" logo in the upper left hand corner (the southern boundary of the property is N.W. 170 Street).

 

 

Here is the actual site.

Your site is just a bit off to the South. The proposed location is highlighted in YELLOW. NW 170 Street is the southern boundary, the Turnpike is the Western Boundary, and NW 97 Avenue is the eastern boundary. For comparison, Dolphin Stadium is in the upper right hand corner of the map in BLUE.

Bucky "F-ing" Dent also lived in Hialeah and went to Hialeah High

It is actually easier to get to than Dolphin stadium so it is faster to drive there...will save a lot of traffic overall

I read that article in yesterday's PBP. But the article I found even more interesting was the one about the difference in mileage and exactly where the new place will be. We are PBC residents and season ticket holders. We know very little about Dade or Broward county as far as side roads and such so it was interesting and uplifting to see it on a map and a description of the best route to it. Another 10 miles to travel won't be that big a deal for us and from what the short article said there will be an exit ramp being built to take you right into the new pond. We already have an hour plus drive when the traffic conditions are ideal so another 10 minutes or so is no biggie. They have our seal of approval to continue. LOL

 

 

I guess the good point for PBC folks, like me too, will be that we can take the turnpike right on down. That should help some since it doesnt get too many problems with traffic.

 

 

I left the house yesterday a little after 5:00 because I had to make a quickie stop on the way to the turnpike. 5 minute stop at best. I didn't get out of PBC for an hour. It took me 2 hours to get to the ball park. No heavy rain, no accidents. Just stop and go traffic all the way. No idea why. This isn't the norm but it does happen. It can be very frustrating, but not bad enough to cancel our season tickets. LOL

Didn't think I would be able to make Saturday's game but I have rearranged my schedule a little bit and will be there. My wife can't make it but I will be bringing along a friend to use her ticket. When you get the chance to see future HOFers pitch you have to go to the games. Look at these guys we have in a row. Maddux, Pedro, and Glavine. What an opportunity.

 

Your site is just a bit off to the South. The proposed location is highlighted in YELLOW. NW 170 Street is the southern boundary, the Turnpike is the Western Boundary, and NW 97 Avenue is the eastern boundary. For comparison, Dolphin Stadium is in the upper right hand corner of the map in BLUE.

 

 

 

 

This is the one they showed in the PBP the other day. With a new exit being built right there. Looks pretty easy to get to. Even for me. LOL

Your site is just a bit off to the South. The proposed location is highlighted in YELLOW. NW 170 Street is the southern boundary, the Turnpike is the Western Boundary, and NW 97 Avenue is the eastern boundary. For comparison, Dolphin Stadium is in the upper right hand corner of the map in BLUE.

 

 

 

You are a bit off there....that site is too far north.

 

 

 

That is a detailed map of the Codina-owned site in Application #5. The map SoFlaFish posted involves the Graham Companies and I don't believe it was annexed by Hialeah.

 

Info on the land: http://capefish.blogspot.com/2006/03/beaco...-llcs-land.html